


Appeasement

by Sycophantism



Series: Media Controls by UnknownSpy [4]
Category: Media Controls (UnknownSpy)
Genre: Equivalent Intimacy, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 17:30:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18124319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sycophantism/pseuds/Sycophantism
Summary: Prequel toInstincts. Trojan makes use of connecting to get himself out of trouble with powerful viruses, including the one he serves and the one who killed him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After screwing up royally in his service to Heart, Trojan offers connection to quell the virus’ wrath.
> 
> " **Equivalent Intimacy** is a term to refer to anything that takes the place of physical or sexual intimacy in a setting where they are absent or impossible (ex. lack of sexual organs). "

It had taken time for Heart to recover from Bellum’s invasion, having to gorge himself on data and controls before regaining his former glory. Trojan took his time hunting down glitches for himself, avoiding the virus for now. There was no mistaking the murderous intent in a virus’ gaze, when they pinned you under the stare of their eyes. He’d never been on the receiving end of Heart’s malevolence, but he wouldn’t still be around if he didn’t know how to recognize it. 

Luck landed a control in front of him, and Trojan didn’t hesitate to consume them. It was the last buff he needed to find his footing again, up to snuff with how he’d been before respawn-- and then more, feeling the energy pour into him as his form flickered and surged, growing. Flexing his claws to get a feel for his power, he stared down at himself. This would do.

· · ─────── ·☠· ─────── · · 

Trojan hadn’t put himself in Heart’s path for a while, not ready to tempt the virus’ goodwill. He’d undermined Heart’s power by trying to protect him, and Trojan wouldn’t be surprised to have the virus crush him for it. Maybe it was his death that had stayed Heart’s hand from destroying him; he would be stronger now, more useful, and the current System wouldn’t sustain for much longer-- there wasn’t time for Heart to build up another trojan to serve him.

It was a lot of luck working in Trojan’s favour, and he couldn’t let it be a crutch. 

Heart’s many eyes leveled him with a look of cool warning. He still wasn’t pleased with Trojan, and coming before him now was tempting fate. Still, Trojan knew what he was doing.

A gesture of deference roused Heart’s attention, Trojan dipping himself at the waist and putting himself entirely at the virus’ mercy. Turning away from a virus, averting your gaze, was a dangerous game; it was a perfect opportunity to seize him, while his defenses were down, and tear him apart. 

Which was what made it strange that it almost never happened that way. Instead, the larger virus’ expression smoothed out, calculating. Heart reached out with a ribbon, winding it around Trojan’s shoulders and pulling him closer. Humming, thoughtful, Heart let another ribbon wind around Trojan’s arm, drawing it away and extending it to his side to inspect the armor adorning it. Heart said nothing, ribbons curling over Trojan’s chest and waist and squeezing until he wheezed for breath. The virus’ eye crinkled with amusement, the nearest to a smile Trojan had seen on him since Bellum’s assault, and Trojan relaxed into Heart’s embrace. 

The faintest spark traversed his front, made him twitch and exhale shakily. He’d never had someone so thoroughly wrapped around him; it was… a lot of contact. This was going to be-- intense. 

Ribbons lashed around his legs, covering him pelvis-to-foot, making the armor creak with the tightness of the grip. Heart trailed the backs of his claws down Trojan’s face, gripping his chin and tilting his head back until his eye found Heart’s own staring down at him. He seemed mollified, covering every inch of Trojan with his ribbons, just on the cusp of properly connecting but postponing it. Maybe not mollified; once he made that final connection, it would overwhelm Trojan all at once, coming from over his entire body. It was a punishment as much as an acceptance of his wordless apology. 

Trojan couldn’t move an inch, save for the faint twitch of his fingers. Heart manipulated him easily in the air, bending him until he gasped from the sharp arch in his back, claws spasming where they couldn’t find purchase on anything. Maybe Heart was going to snap him in half after all--

The pressure lessened, and then the connection sank into him all at once, electricity shooting across his body and making him go limp. Heart curled a claw under his eye, tilted his face up to watch as the energy flooded through him, static and pain and pleasure rushing like a current through his body. It wasn’t nearly as potent for the virus, with Trojan unable to reciprocate, but the buzz that coursed through his ribbons was their only real source of such pleasure. It was sharp enough to have his eyes fluttering shut, drinking in the ecstasy as Trojan trembled in his grasp. 

Lulled into a trance, Heart swayed for a long while, wringing Trojan for everything he could offer. Trojan’s vision blurred, realizing his eye was open, staring vacantly past the virus using him. Every inch of him tingled, pins-and-needles and euphoria, floaty and sharp. Connections didn’t normally last like this; it wasn’t safe for a trojan or a virus to stay in such a vulnerable state for too long. But this was Heart’s system. So shortly after Bellum’s attack, no other virus was going to have a go at taking over. 

He had all the time in the world.

Trojan barely knew who he was by the time Heart lifted him farther, unraveling ribbons from their constrictive grasp into a looser, supportive cradle. Trojan could feel himself shaking, nearly rattling himself apart as he braced a hand on one of Heart’s ribbons-- oh.

Heart’s hand hovered before him, expectant, and Trojan shivered in a shallow breath. He didn’t make Heart wait, extending his own hand, claws curled in and quivering as he pressed his palm against Heart’s. 

The reverb threw him back against Heart’s ribbons. Heart’s other hand came up to wrap around him, claws pricking like electric knives against his stomach, and Trojan doubled over as he forced his hand to stay in place, Heart’s own pleasure echoing into him, through and back out into the virus to double the sensation. It was scintillating for Heart; it was devastating for Trojan.

· · ─────── ·☠· ─────── · · 

Trojan didn’t remember when it stopped. He didn’t remember passing out, or waking up again after. Self-awareness swam back into focus slowly; the tremor in his limbs, the exhaustion sending hunger pangs through him. And the touch of Heart’s ribbons, still laced around him, holding him in place.

“You were right to come to me.” Ah. So Heart was satisfied, after all. Trojan tried to reply, found his voice rough and raw. A ribbon wrapped promptly around his head, silencing him. “Next time,” Heart murmured, drawing Trojan nearer, “I will have no clemency to appeal to.” 

Heart returned him to his feet, and left him to find his balance. Trojan gave up on making his legs work, sinking to the ground to gather his energy. He’d have to feed again. 

It had worked, this time, to regain Heart’s favour. There wouldn’t be a _next time_ \-- not just because Trojan wouldn’t survive another misstep like that. 

He wouldn’t fail again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trojan comes face-to-face with the virus that tried to take over Heart’s system, and does the only thing he can to make it out alive.

Trojan frowned from his place behind a heap of rubble, listening to the distant sounds of destruction as the massive virus rampaged through the system. He’d yet to see the virus, but the sheer amount of destruction-- and how far the noise of their violence was carrying-- told him he didn’t really want to. The port was still within walking distance, and he wasn’t keen on traveling any deeper.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he crouched and pulled up his screen, marking the system off of his map. This was a little close for comfort; Heart wouldn’t be happy that such a powerful virus was so nearby. Not that there was anything Trojan could do about it. 

The other systems could wait, Heart would want to know about this right away. Straightening from his position, Trojan swiped away his screen, ready to leave.

Noticing the quiet a moment too late, he sucked in a breath as a shadow fell over him. Bolting for the exit, he’d barely made it halfway before a hand blocked off his path, sweeping toward him and lifting him from the ground. The arm was nearly the size of his whole body, and he went rigid as immense claws curled around his front to grip him. 

“Well, well, who’s this?” Trojan tensed further, eye widening as the chipper voice registered in his mind a moment before he was held up before a familiar face. 

Heart was going to be _pissed_. 

“Hold on, you look familiar, don’t you?” Bellum hummed, rubbing his thumb along Trojan’s body as he considered. “Let’s see… No, the armor isn’t, but…” With his free hand, Bellum pinched the edge of Trojan’s armor, prised it away from his head and made him jerk. “Aha! Yes, I remember you. You’re Heart’s trojan, aren’t you? Heart’s little soldier.” Bellum’s eye crinkled with glee, though there was malice there too; Trojan remembered where Bellum had gotten that eye after all, and Bellum surely did as well. 

Twisting in Bellum’s grip, Trojan kicked to try and find some purchase to free himself. He wasn’t about to die to some misplaced retribution. 

Bellum tutted down at him, squeezed until Trojan’s armor creaked and he went limp, struggling to breathe. “There we go.” The virus smiled again, turning Trojan this way and that to inspect him. “You got yourself a nice little upgrade, didn’t you? I guess you could say I’m to thank for that.” He laughed and Trojan groaned in response, letting his head droop. “What, no _thank you?_ Mm, Heart ought to teach you better manners.” Trojan didn’t reply, staring at the ground as he tried to figure a way out of this. 

Sighing, Bellum lounged back against his tail and adjusted his grip, holding Trojan’s hands with the tips of his claws and pulling him taut. The strain in his arms had Trojan gasping, kicking in the empty air as a stabbing sensation shot across his shoulders. Bellum laughed, repeating the motion until Trojan’s armor slipped out of place just so, his vision whiting out from the pain. “What oh what shall I do with you?” Bellum mused, releasing one hand and leaving Trojan to fall and dangle from the other. “I’m sure Heart wouldn’t begrudge me killing you too much. Not enough to challenge me after our last battle.” The virus chuckled, swinging Trojan by his arm idly. Eventually though, he heaved another breath and wrapped his hand around Trojan again, pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him to eye-level again. “Not terribly helpful, are you?”

Still feeling the sharp ache in his shoulders, Trojan took the moment to catch his breath. He wasn’t about to let himself die here. There weren’t many ways to negotiate with a virus; there was nothing a trojan could do to persuade a virus of Bellum’s stature of anything. Not unless it was Bellum’s own decision, in the end.

Wincing as he rotated his arm under Bellum’s grip, Trojan drew in a steadying breath as he trailed his claws along the underside of Bellum’s hand, left a tingling trail of sparks in their wake. Bellum twitched and his smile vanished, eye returning to Trojan from where it had wandered thoughtfully away. Intrigue filled the virus’ features as he fell silent, waiting for Trojan to act again. And Trojan did, curling his fingers against what he could reach of Bellum’s hand, palm pressing in and _sinking_ in, fuzz and static unmistakable.

Humming loudly, Bellum loosened his grip, let his thumb stroke over Trojan’s body from chest to ankle. “Aren’t you interesting,” he cooed, mouth twitching back into a smile, this time contemplative. “Do you think this will save you~?” Bellum opened his hand, let Trojan fall into a seated position in his palm.

Clearing his throat, not making any move to stand or escape, Trojan responded, “That’s the idea.”

Bellum laughed in delight, wrapping a claw around Trojans’ back. “I _like_ you.” Eye falling half-closed, the virus grinned coolly, pressing the tip of his claw against Trojan’s chest. “Go on then, little soldier, don’t keep me waiting.” 

Trojan considered his position, then laid both hands on Bellum’s claw pressed against him, letting out an unsteady breath as he closed his eye and focused. The shift between their touch came easily, static tingling between them as they connected. Chest heaving as he bent forward, Trojan shook from the sheer amount of energy flooding into him from Bellum’s single, tiny point of contact against his front. Tightening his grip to keep from being knocked back, Trojan forced his breathing into a rhythm, albeit a rapid one, as he let the electricity course through him and back into Bellum. 

The virus chirred, a strange sound but distinctly pleased, as he closed his eye. His hand curled up around Trojan, not touching anyplace else but caging him in, possessive. Trojan could feel the virus’ mass, how the pleasure rolled through Bellum from head to tail, expanding before reverberating back into Trojan. It was so much space to fill, and it rocked Trojan to his core with every echo back into himself. He scrabbled at Bellum’s claw, clung to it to keep himself from letting go on instinct alone. 

The resonation stopped as Bellum withdrew his claw from Trojan’s chest, left him to crumple forward and gasp, still holding onto Bellum to keep from collapsing entirely. Humming loudly, Bellum gently shook Trojan’s grip off, left him to curl up and regain his senses. “That was bold of you, little trojan.” Bellum curled the back of his claw under Trojan’s head, lifted his face to peer into his eye. “I’d like to see what else you’ll get up to.” 

Bellum lowered him back to the ground, even poked a claw into his back to help him keep his balance when he swayed. “Off with you now. Back to your master.” 

Trojan looked over his shoulder, half expecting Bellum to snatch him up again. When the virus only smiled, claws wiggling in farewell, Trojan faced forward and made his way to the exit.

He might leave all of that out of his report to Heart.


End file.
